From the point of view of common sense about any hospitality cannot be and speeches without satisfaction of primary needs of the person – needs for a feed, rest and a dream. In this connection the most proved and logical enough is following definition of hotel which was given by S.I.Bajlik:

« The hotel is the enterprise giving to people, being outside of the house, a complex of services, the major among which equally are service of accommodation and a feed ».

The essence of granting of service of accommodation consists that, on the one hand, in using special premises (hotel rooms) are given the services which are carried out directly by the personnel of hotel, on the other hand, are rendered: services of the porter on reception and registration of visitors, services of the parlourmaiden on cleaning hotel rooms, etc.

Hotel rooms are a basic element of service of accommodation. These are the multipurpose premises intended for rest, a dream, work of living visitors. Their major function is the possibility of a dream. The importance of other functions of hotel rooms, first of all, depends on purpose of hotel and needs of visitors. For example, in hotels of business purpose.

In different hotels there are various categories of numbers, differing one from another the area, furniture, the equipment, equipment, etc. However irrespective of a category the hotel room should have following furniture and the equipment: a bed, a chair and an armchair, a night little table, a case for clothes, the general illumination, a garbage basket. Besides it in each number the information on hotel and the plan of evacuation in case of a fire should contain.

Other services supplement the offer of services of accommodation and a feed. The offer of pool, conference halls, halls concern to them for negotiations, sports equipment, a car hire, services of a dry-cleaner, a laundry, hairdresser's, a massage cabinet and a number of others. How they are issued and combined in a uniform complex, there is a certain type of the enterprise, such, as hotel-lux, hotel of middle class, hotel-apartament, hotel of economy class, hotel-resort, motel, private hotel of type « a lodging for the night and a breakfast », hotel-garni, a board, gostinyi a court yard, rotel', botel', flotel', flaitel'.

However there are some general classification attributes. We allocate only the most used among them:

1. The level of comfort is the complex criterion, composed which are:
- A condition of number fund: the area of numbers, a share of single, multiroom numbers, numbers-apartments, presence of municipal convenience in numbers;
- A condition of furniture, stock, subjects of sanitary-and-hygienic purpose;
- Presence and a condition of the enterprises of a feed;
- A condition of a building, access roads, arrangement of territory adjoining to hotel;
- A supply with information and a hardware;
- Maintenance of granting of additional services.
In each separate state to understanding of a level of comfort as criterion of classification approach differently for this reason in the world there is no uniform classification of hotels. (WTO) is offered by the world tourist organization only standard classification of means of accommodation.

2. Capacity of number fund – number of places which can be offered to clients simultaneously. Is standard to divide hotels on:
- Small - capacity up to 150 places (in a number of the countries no more than 100 numbers);
- Averages - 150-400 places (up to 300 numbers);
- Greater - over 400 places (over 300 numbers).

3. Functional purpose - this criterion is solving at definition of typological structure of hotel. Two greater groups of the enterprises in total allocate: transit and target:
Transit – the hotels serving tourists in conditions of a short-term stop. They settle down on highways with greater movement, in them the limited level of comfort.
Target hotels depending on the purpose of travel are subdivided on:
- Hotels of the business purpose, serving persons staying on business trips;
- Hotels for rest (resort – granting of accommodation, a feed and of some additional services to the people aspiring rest and recovery of healt and tourist – an overall objective rest).

4. A site. Here there are various variations. Hotels can be located in a city boundaries, in mountains; at coast, etc.
Except for a site of hotel allocate classification of numbers and a kind from numbers.

5. Duration of activity. By this criterion of hotel are classified on the hotels working all-the-year-round, working 2 seasons or the hotels functioning only 1 season.

6. Security a feed:
- The hotels working on system " All inclusive " (accommodation + 4-hrazovoe a feed with inclusion of alcoholic drinks both local, and the foreign manufacturer, depending on specificity of hotel and its cost value);
- The hotels providing a full board (accommodation + three meals a day);
- The hotels providing a half board (accommodation + 2-hrazovoe a feed with a variation a breakfast-dinner or a breakfast-supper)
- The gifts offering accommodation and only a breakfast

7. Duration of stay of visitors:
- Hotels for long stay of visitors;
- Hotels for short-term stay.

8. On a price level of number of hotel are classified on:
- Budgetary (25-35 at.);
- Economic (35-55 at.);
- Averages (55-95u.);
- First class (95-195 c.u.);
- apartamentnye (65-125 at.);
- Luxurious (125-425 at.).

So, there is a set of principles and criteria of world classification of hotels, all depends on national, geographical features of the country, and also local traditions. At classification of hotels in the different countries also use various systems.